Take That Step Forward
by welshie
Summary: Ryan and Seth head off to college and they both take steps towards a new life. Futurefic. SethRyan Slash.
1. The Last Night

Title: Take That Step Forward

Rating: R, I guess for Slash.

Disclaimer: I don't own the show or any of the characters.

Summary: Ryan and Seth each take steps towards a new life. Futurefic. S/R.

A/N: - I'm not sure this should be R rated in my opinion. Slash, but no smut. Also apologies in advance, I'm British so I may get a few things wrong! (I don't know much about the college system in the States). Any comments and suggestions will be gratefully received. Thanks!

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Chapter One -The Last Night

Sandy looked across the table to his son and then to Ryan before he asked,

"So how do you both feel? Excited? Nervous?"

It was Ryan's last night in the Cohen household. The next day he would be setting off for his first semester at university. Seth was flying to Seattle the day after Ryan was leaving to start his time at college.

"Excited, definitely. Well maybe a bit nervous too, but I'm okay with that." Seth responded.

"Ryan, what about you?" Kirsten coaxed.

"Okay, I guess." Ryan looked down to the plate in front of him and popped another spoonful of dessert into his mouth, grateful that he didn't have to elaborate further. As a result Ryan didn't notice the looks exchanged between Kirsten and Sandy. Seth gave his parents a knowing smile as he was in on the secret.

"Ryan, Sandy and I were talking and we decided that we wanted to give you something for the new and exciting chapter in your life."

"A present? No, I couldn't accept it." Ryan immediately replied.

"You don't know what it is yet! But knowing my parents, it probably isn't that great." Seth joked. Sandy pulled a small box from his pocket and slid it across the table towards Ryan.

"What is it?" Ryan asked. He felt himself blush as he realised three pairs of eyes were eagerly waiting for his reaction.

"Dude, open it and find out." Seth said.

"Keys? I don't get it." Ryan was genuinely puzzled.

"They're car keys!" Seth exclaimed. Ryan just looked at Kirsten and Sandy in stunned silence.

"You're going to come home on weekends and holidays…" Kirsten began.

'_Home'_ Ryan thought. He felt a pang of sadness as the reality of leaving hit him again."…yes, of course." Ryan replied.

"So we just wanted to make the journey a little easier." Sandy finished.

"You've already done so much so much for me. I can't take it." Ryan shook his head and slid the box away from him.

"Yes, you can." Kirsten said earnestly. Once Ryan glanced across at Seth, he realised how much it meant to Kirsten and Sandy that he accepted the gift.

"Okay." Ryan replied quietly.

"Great!" Sandy exclaimed. He then took the empty dessert plates from the table and walked over to the sink.

"Ryan, you should finish your packing." Kirsten suggested. "You have an early start tomorrow."

"Do you need any help?" Seth quickly offered. Ryan did a double take at Seth's offer of help. Seth never volunteered for such 'manual work' as he had once put it. He then realised that his room probably looked like a hurricane had hit it with his failed attempt at packing and that he was now doing his best to avoid dealing with the aftermath.

"Yeah, I could do with the help." Ryan lied.

Seth followed Ryan to the pool house and looked at the immaculately tidy room with only two big bags in the corner spoiling the otherwise perfect image.

"You're packed?!" Seth said incredulously.

"It's not like I've got a lot of stuff." Ryan retorted looking pointedly at Seth.

"Okay, so maybe I don't need my _entire_ comic collection with me in Seattle, but I must have my CD's." Seth sat on the floor, resting his back against the side of the bed. "So Ryan, how _do_ you feel about leaving?" Seth looked up at Ryan. He was the only person that Ryan was completely open with and so Ryan took a deep breath and sat down next to him. He then exhaled and looked at his shoes before replying.

"I never even allowed myself to dream that I could actually become an architect one day." Ryan smiled. "But I have Sandy and Kirsten to thank for giving me the chance." He added. He paused and then looked directly at Seth. "And you Seth."

"Hey, I didn't do anything." Seth shook his head. "So…do you have any ideas about how we should spend your last night here?" Images of a drunken night flashed through Seth's mind.

"Yes I do." Seth looked across eagerly at Ryan. "I plan on doing absolutely nothing that will get me into trouble." Ryan continued.

"Great!" Seth rolled his head back onto the bed in mock annoyance. "Now I have to go pack!"

"Wait." Ryan said quietly. "Stay here for a while?" He asked.

"Sure." Seth answered with relief. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both contemplating the imminent change in their lives. "It is a bit scary. Starting up in a brand new place, not knowing anyone there." Seth suddenly said out loud.

"Yeah." Ryan simply said as another smile crept over his face.

"Okay, you've done that already."

"But it's a good scary you know."

"Good scary?" Seth asked puzzled.

"You can feel your heart pounding, your stomach churning, but you take that step forward..."

"…because there's a chance it'll work out?" Seth finished.

"Yeah." Ryan softly said.

Seth couldn't help being surprised at his answer. But it was now obvious that Ryan had changed so much since the first time they had met. Ryan was now a confident, optimistic, person willing to embrace life instead of previously thinking that there was no point in doing so.

"Seth?" Ryan waved his hand in front of Seth's face.

"Huh?" Seth caught himself staring at Ryan. He quickly looked away and then added. "I…I should go now. You have to leave early in the morning." His tone of voice sounded harsh to Ryan, formal and brusque. Definitely not like Seth. However Ryan wasn't going to challenge him. The last thing he wanted was to get into an argument with Seth on his last night there.

"Yeah, okay." Ryan replied. They both got up and stood there for a moment. "So I'll see you in the morning." He added.

"Yeah." Seth nodded. Ryan wasn't sure why it was so weird between them all of a sudden. He then recalled the first time they had said goodbye when Seth had hugged him and had reached out to a virtual stranger. This was also a goodbye and Ryan thought it was now his turn to hug Seth. Suddenly all the awkwardness vanished.

"I'll miss you, man." Seth said.

"I'll miss you too." Ryan whispered. They both knew that it wasn't a final goodbye and yet… Ryan wasn't sure how he felt.

They moved apart and in a split second Ryan had felt Seth's soft lips brush against his. He wasn't even sure it had actually happened, but Seth had jumped back, away from Ryan as if he had had an electric shock. Seth's face was bright red and he stammered an apology.

"I…I…Ry…I'm really… sorry… such an idiot!" By that time he had already opened the door and had stepped out of the pool house.

Ryan flopped back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling for several minutes. Did that really happen, he wondered once again. Ryan sighed as he realised that there was no way he'd fall asleep anytime soon. His mind was buzzing with a thousand thoughts. He glanced across at his bedside clock wondering what the time was and then noticed that resting under the clock was a CD case. Ryan didn't really believe in signs, but there must have been a reason why he hadn't returned that CD to Seth before. He impulsively grabbed the CD and headed for Seth's room. Ryan walked through the kitchen and noticed that Sandy and Kirsten had already gone to their bedroom. He continued through the quiet, dark house and stopped in front of Seth's door, suddenly feeling extremely nervous. All Ryan could hear was his heart pounding fiercely in his chest and the muffled sound of Seth's music.

Seth sat on the edge of his bed, his hands covering his face. He had hoped that turning up the volume on the CD player would drown out his thoughts, but it had failed spectacularly.

"Stupid! Stupid!" He muttered occasionally. Ryan would hate him now, rightly too, Seth thought. He concluded that in a matter of seconds he had damaged their friendship, perhaps irrevocably. Seth looked across his bed to Captain Oats. His small plastic face seemed to be mocking him, but Seth knew that he was doing a good enough job by himself and didn't need Captain Oats' help.

"Idiot!" Seth added for good measure.

Seth suddenly heard knocking on his door. His head snapped towards the door and he grabbed the remote, turning the volume down while he tried to compose himself. He had assumed it was his father, who would tell him off for blasting music at that time of night.

"Sorry, Dad." Seth called out as he threw the remote behind him. He turned back around and was shocked to see Ryan standing in front of him instead.


	2. Take A Chance

CHAPTER 2 – Take A Chance

"I forgot to return this. I know it's one of your favourites." Ryan produced the CD case and took a step forward. Ryan looked around him, trying to find a place where to put it.

"Wow, you weren't joking about taking your entire CD collection." He smiled nervously at Seth after adding the case to one of a number of stacks littering the floor of Seth's room. Ryan's comment was met by a steely wall of silence.

Ryan slowly took a few steps forwards and carefully sat next to Seth.

"We should…talk…clear the air." Ryan said, his voice steady and even.

"There's no air to clear, Ryan. I get it. I'm an idiot. That's all." As Seth talked he stared directly at the ground in front of him.

"You're not an idiot. It's okay Seth." Ryan softly said.

"No, it's not." Seth miserably replied.

"We don't have to talk about it again. We can pretend it never happened if you want."

"That's what we both want isn't it." Seth stated. But Ryan recognised something in his tone of voice and instantly knew that Seth was lying to him. That gave Ryan the courage to speak the scary truth, the good scary kind.

"Seth?"

"Yeah?" Seth's eyes were full of sadness as he looked up at Ryan's face.

"In the pool house? If you had kissed me again, I would have kissed you back."

Ryan watched as a look of pure disbelief on Seth's face was replaced by hesitation and then eventually followed, a small smile. That was all the encouragement Ryan needed so he kissed Seth gently on the lips. Ryan moved away to gauge the reaction on Seth's face and he was pleased to see he was smiling. Ryan wasn't exactly sure how he felt except it was all very new and exciting. But any doubts or uncertainty were swept away when Seth's hand moved to Ryan's neck, pulling him closer. They kissed again as Seth ran his fingers through Ryan's blonde hair.

They eventually broke apart, breathless and their faces flushed with desire and happiness. Seth just grinned at Ryan clearly enjoying the moment.

"Ryan?" Seth eventually asked.

"Yes?"

"Do you think we should go to the pool house and… um…?" Seth's voice trailed off as he felt a little unsure about making the suggestion.

Ryan could hear the music softly drifting from the CD player creating a cocoon around them. "I want to stay here." He simply answered. He felt safe there as if Seth's room was a bubble where time had stopped and nothing could interfere.

"Ryan?" Seth asked once again. Ryan noticed the change in Seth's expression and he knew exactly what he was thinking. "We might not get another chance…" Seth rushed out.

"…I know." Ryan interrupted. "But I don't want to think about that. We should just make the most of this night." He added.

They kissed once more, but it was different. The passion was still there but also a new sense of urgency between them. Ryan's hands began to move and explore Seth's body. His soft, warm skin enticed Ryan to keep touching him. They pulled apart, but only for a second as they peeled their t-shirts off each other. Ryan marvelled at how free he felt at that moment and he realised it was simply because he was with Seth.

"What's wrong?" Ryan asked after Seth broke away from him.

"I've never…"

"What is it?" Ryan coaxed.

"I've never been with a guy before…It's my first time...I…I…don't know what to do." Seth gabbled nervously.

"It's my first time too." Ryan answered. He smiled when he saw Seth visibly relax. Seth returned the smile as Ryan added, "How about you turn off the light and we can work out what to do together."

The music from the CD player continued to gently waft around the room as Seth turned off the small reading light beside his bed, leaving only the moonshine streaming in through the shutters.


	3. The Morning After

A/N: Okay, I'm a big wuss, and I chickened out of writing the smut! My only lame excuses are that I don't think I can make it seem at all convincing and perhaps it would be better to leave it to the imagination of the reader. Yes, like I said, lame.

Also thanks for the reviews!

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**CHAPTER 3** The Morning After.

Ryan woke up early the next morning as the sun began to rise. He turned his body around to face Seth. He allowed himself to gaze at Seth for a few minutes. He was amazed that after all the time he had known Seth, he had never seen him in that state; asleep with a look of pure contentment on his face. Ryan longed to touch Seth's face, but was worried he might wake him up. So instead he carefully got out of bed, put on his clothes and ran back to the pool house before Sandy and Kirsten woke up.

Ryan then quickly took a shower and changed his clothes. He sat on the edge of his bed, a torrent of emotions rushing around inside him. He made the decision not to talk to Seth about it as he didn't want to make the goodbye even more complicated than it already was. He wasn't even sure what he would have said anyway. Ryan walked over to the bags he had packed and fished out the Chrismukkah picture the family had taken the year before. He gazed at the photo for a moment, studying the faces smiling back at him. He had planned to take it with him, but impulsively decided against it. He knew that he would see them all again soon enough. He left the photo on the bedside table before heading back to the house for breakfast.

Ryan walked into the kitchen and grabbed the sugar coated cereal that Seth sometimes ate and a carton of orange juice from the fridge. He sat down at the table near the window and ate the cereal straight from the box, washing it down with the juice. Even though it felt like no one else was in the house he didn't feel lonely. He felt as if his days in Chino were almost a lifetime ago. He then noticed that Seth had left a couple of his comics in the kitchen and so began to read one. A smile formed on his face that only left when his reverie was interrupted by Kirsten walking into the kitchen.

"Ryan!" Kirsten exclaimed.

"Huh, what?" Ryan answered startled.

"Hey, I wanted to make your breakfast for you today. It's a very special day."

"It's okay, really." Ryan said warily.

"Very funny! I can pour juice you know." Kirsten pretended to be annoyed. Ryan simply stood up and handed her his almost empty glass. She grinned as she poured him some more juice.

"So, you'll call us as soon as you get there." She said as she gave him the full glass.

"Yes." Ryan replied.

"You have to promise, Ryan." She said firmly.

"I promise."

"Is your cell phone charged?" Kirsten continued.

"Yes." He answered.

"I feel bad that we can't go with you today."

"It's fine. I'll be fine."

At that moment Ryan wondered how many other kids in the country would go through similar conversations that weekend. However most of them were probably whining about feeling mothered and mollycoddled, while Ryan couldn't be happier that Kirsten cared for him so much. Ryan surprised himself when reached over and gave Kirsten a hug. She hugged him back before saying,

"Well, Sandy is very upset that he can't do his whole 'embarrassing dad' schtick. You know he lives for moments like that."

Ryan laughed as Sandy entered the kitchen.

"Why are my ears burning?" Sandy asked as he kissed his wife good morning.

"Because I was just discussing how loudly you snore." Kirsten joked.

"Nice!" Sandy retorted. "But I do not snore!" He added pointing a knife in their direction before slicing a bagel in half.

A few moments later Seth staggered into the kitchen still rubbing his eyes. He yawned and grinned when his eyes focussed on Ryan who was standing near the table.

"Hey, Ryan!" He called out.

"Seth!" Ryan exclaimed. He blinked at Seth hoping that he would understand the panicked look on his face.

"Seth, You're finally awake." Kirsten said as she walked towards her son.

"Mom…! Seth yelped. He then turned to face his father who was pouring cups of coffee.

…and Dad!" Seth desperately tried to compose himself and for once was glad that his parents often cheerfully accepted his weird moments.

"Coffee, son?" Sandy asked as he poured another cup for Seth. "You don't look very awake to me." Seth took the cup of coffee and walked across the kitchen.

"I am just going to sit over there and drink coffee and be quiet." Seth announced as he stole a glance at Ryan.

Kirsten, Sandy and Ryan joined Seth at the table to finish their breakfast. However each one was trying their best to hide their true feelings about that day.

Kirsten asked Ryan various questions trying her best not to think about what it would feel like once Ryan had left. Sandy seemed more relaxed, but the odd look of worry flashed over his face. Ryan was seemingly his usual, quiet self. And Seth wondered if Sandy and Kirsten could tell how his and Ryan's relationship had changed just by looking at them.

Eventually Sandy said, "The car is being delivered at 10. Ryan, how about you grab your bags from the pool house and we'll meet you at the front of the house?"

"Sure." Ryan said. "Seth, do you want to give me a hand with my other bag?" Ryan added.

Seth looked across at Ryan and finally got the hint. "Yeah, okay." He answered.

They both stood up and walked from the kitchen to the pool house, Ryan leading the way. Ryan knew that it was their last chance to be alone together and he needed to talk to Seth before he left.

Seth closed the door behind him as they walked into the pool house and headed towards the two bags that Ryan had packed. Ryan spun around to face Seth.

"Seth, will you promise me something?" Ryan said with great urgency.

"Yeah, sure." Seth nodded wondering why Ryan was making such a fuss.

"Promise me that you'll make lots of new friends, that you'll enjoy yourself in college. You'll go to all the parties, maybe end up making a drunk, random call to me at 3.30 in the morning."

"What's the big deal Ryan?" Seth said still puzzled at Ryan's outburst.

"I don't want you to miss out on having fun that's all."

"You think because of last night…?" Seth's voice trailed off when he realised that he didn't actually know what Ryan's thoughts on the night before were.

"It's complicated now, I mean even more complicated. Us. Everything is so new and…and… different. We see each other everyday and after today it'll be months before we'll see each other again."

"I don't understand." Seth said unused to hearing Ryan be so vague.

Seth, I don't want to stop you…you might meet someone else." Ryan finally said.

"Is that what you want?" Seth asked.

"No! no!" Ryan exclaimed and suddenly took a step forward and passionately kissed Seth. They staggered away from the bags, their bodies intertwined, only stopping when Seth hit the wall behind him.

"This is what I want." Ryan whispered when they pulled apart from each other. "But we don't know what's going to happen in the future, so I'll understand if anything does happen." He added.

"I thought I was the one that normally didn't make much sense!" Seth joked.

"Seth!" Ryan exclaimed. He usually liked Seth's funny comments, but he desperately wanted Seth to understand how important this was to him. "Be serious."

"It's cool, I get it. I know what you're doing." Seth nodded his head before gazing into Ryan's eyes. Ryan couldn't help himself. He just wanted one more kiss, a kiss that would be enough to last him until he saw Seth again. They kissed again, hidden in the corner of the pool house, both of them savouring each second.

"Hey, I have to go." Ryan said reluctantly as he looked down at his watch. It said 10 am. The car would be there, ready for him to drive off to his new life.

Sandy and Kirsten stood at the top of the driveway next to Ryan's car. They waited there for a few minutes before Ryan and Seth turned up with the bags.

"So what do you think?" Sandy asked eagerly. The car was quite old and had clearly seen better days, but Ryan was glad that it wasn't a brand new, shiny car. They had picked the perfect car for him.

"It's great." Ryan said as he walked around the car and Kirsten and Sandy could see that he genuinely liked it.

Ryan took the car key from his pocket and opened the trunk to put the bags inside it.

"So I guess this is it." Ryan said quietly.

"Yes, I guess so." Kirsten replied already tears welling up in her eyes.

"Don't cry Kirsten." Ryan said as they hugged.

"I promised Sandy I wouldn't, but I can't help it!" She managed to say.

"Maybe we can visit you in a couple of weeks?" Sandy suggested.

"I'd like that." Ryan answered. Sandy then hugged Ryan goodbye.

Ryan then walked over to where Seth was standing, staring at his shoes. He could see that Seth was trying to avoid his gaze. Ryan awkwardly held out his hand, knowing that they were well past that point, but Seth took his hand before saying. "I'll keep my promise, Ryan…"

"Good." Ryan whispered.

"…but only if you keep it too." Seth finished.

Ryan had never thought about it from Seth's perspective. He realised that maybe Seth was also worried about how moving so far away from each other, living such different lives would affect their newly transformed relationship.

"Okay." Ryan eventually.

"Good." Seth echoed. He hugged Ryan before adding. "Hurry up and leave will you? I'm a busy guy, you know. Things to see, people to do. No, wait, that doesn't sound right."

Ryan smiled glad that he could always rely on Seth to lift the mood.

"Okay, okay I'm going!"

Ryan then walked back around the car and got into the driver's seat. He started the engine and called out his goodbyes as Sandy, Kirsten and Seth waved from the steps of the house. It was only when Ryan disappeared from view that Sandy and Kirsten headed back into the house. Seth contemplated dealing with all the packing he still had to do, but quickly decided against it and walked around the house instead, towards the pool.


	4. Wise Words

**CHAPTER 4 **Wise Words.

Seth dipped his feet into the cool water, occasionally looking across at the now empty pool house. Ryan had only been gone for a few minutes and Seth was already missing him. Seth sat in the same position for the next hour. His thoughts were finally disrupted by the sound of high-heeled shoes clicking against the stone patio tiles. He instantly recognised the footsteps and looked up to see Summer standing next to him.

"Hey Cohen." She said gently.

"Hey, Summer." He smiled sadly.

"Do you mind…?"

"No, sit down." He answered. She took off her shoes and let the water splash over her legs.

"Your mom called me." Summer said matter-of-factly.

"Really?" He said surprised.

"She said you looked a little depressed and needed cheering up."

"I'm fine." Seth lied.

"I've known you for long time right?" Summer asked.

"Yeah." Seth nodded his head.

"Then tell me the truth. Ryan's gone, is that it?" She guessed.

Seth looked up from the water into Summer's warm brown eyes. He felt the need to tell someone his secret.

"You can't tell anyone, no one at all…" Seth began.

"I won't. You can trust me." Summer was suddenly concerned when she saw the expression on Seth's face. She had never seen him look like that before.

Seth quickly whispered all that had happened and the agreement made between Ryan and himself. Summer sat there in shock for a moment.

"So you and Chino, huh?" Summer stated.

"Yep." He replied miserably.

"I think he had the right idea."

"You do?"

"Yes, just deal with it and have a good time at college." Summer smiled at him.

"Since when did you become so wise, Summer?"

"Since always, Cohen." She replied. "I also heard you need a kick up the ass because you still haven't packed your stuff." Summer said changing the subject.

"I do need help packing." Seth admitted.

"You can pack your CD's and comics. I'll handle the clothes. I am the fashion expert after all." She said with mock gravity.

"Thank you." He said gratefully as he helped her up.

"But Cohen, just one thing." Summer said as they walked towards the house.

"What's that?"

"I am _not_ touching your X-Men underoos!"

"It's a deal." Seth replied. He put his arm around her shoulders. Summer was glad that Seth would be distracted for the next few hours and that she was able to cheer him up.


	5. The Reunion

A/N: I finally got my act together to write another chapter! Hopefully there won't be such a long wait for thenext one!

Thanks again for the reviews- they did help to motivate me and come back to this fic. As for what actually happened between Seth and Ryan the night before they left for college- it's up to the reader to decide. It can be as smutty or as innocent as you want!

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**CHAPTER 5** The Reunion

Seth kept his promise to Ryan and embraced college life. He made friends and went to plenty of parties, Ryan too immersed himself in college life, by making sure he went to all his classes and playing on the soccer team.

Seth and Ryan kept in touch during the first semester by e-mail and phone. Ryan enjoyed hearing Seth's voice as he babbled excitedly about his classes and the band he had recently joined. But the only thing they avoided talking about was their relationship and how it had changed.

Seth's first trip home that semester was for Thanksgiving. But instead of going directly to Newport, he impulsively decided to change his flight to an earlier one and take a detour to see Ryan.

Seth knocked on the door, hoping it was the right one. He was feeling nervous, unsure how Ryan would react to seeing him there. He began to tap his foot on the floor while he waited for an answer. Suddenly the door opened, but instead of Ryan, there was a tall guy with short dark hair who greeted him.

"Is this Ryan's room?" Seth grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket to check if he had the correct address.

"Yeah. He's on the phone."

Seth followed the stranger in to the room as he took in his surroundings.

Ryan had finished his call and began to ask who was there when Seth appeared in the doorway.

"Seth! What are you doing here!" Ryan asked shocked to see him.

"Surprise." Seth said weakly. He had started to think that going to visit Ryan was a very bad idea.

"It's good to see you!" Ryan smiled warmly. Seth managed to smile back.

"Oh, right sorry. Greg, this is Seth, my..." Ryan paused for a moment, not sure how to describe their relationship. "...my best friend from Newport."

"Hey." Greg smiled at Seth and shook his hand.

"Greg is in my math class. He's just returned a book he borrowed." Ryan explained.

"Oh." Seth now felt foolish.

"I have to go. It was nice to meet you. See you, Ryan." Greg said before he left the room.

"Yeah, you too." Seth said.

"Wow, Seth you don't look so good." Ryan commented. Seth did look really tired.

"I took the first flight out here this morning, but I didn't want to risk missing it, so I had about five coffees to keep me awake!"

"Have you had breakfast?" Ryan asked.

"I ate about three hours ago." Seth responded.

"I can't do anything about the caffeine high you're on, but I can fix the food problem. Come on. We can catch up while you eat."

"Sounds great!" Seth willingly followed Ryan to a small coffee shop not far from the campus.

Seth eagerly devoured the pancakes he had ordered while Ryan watched him eat as he drank his coffee. Ryan took in Seth's appearance. It had only been a few weeks since they had last seen each other, but Seth seemed a lot older now. He noticed Seth's hair was styled differently and his clothes had changed too, the dark grey t-shirt he was wearing was definitely new. Ryan wondered if he also had altered so much in those few short weeks.

"You look different from the last time I saw you." Ryan said finally breaking the silence.

"Do I?" Seth asked between mouthfuls of food. He then shrugged his shoulders. "I guess. I don't know."

"Yeah, you do."

"Ryan...I'm sorry about that call I made. But hey, you did tell me to make a drunken call to you!"

"You've already said you're sorry. And I did okay in that test so it worked out all right."

"There's something I didn't tell you. I was really drunk and kissed someone at that party."

"Who was it?" Ryan's mind began to race as he questioned if Seth had kissed a guy or a girl. Did it matter he wondered. He realised he was being jealous and hated himself for it.

"She was a friend of Pete's, the drummer. I was drunk. I'm sorry." Seth apologised once again.

"It's okay." Ryan said trying to sound indifferent. "We both agreed before we left Newport that it was no big deal if we met other people."

"Have you?" Seth asked jumping on Ryan's last sentence.

"No, no. I've been busy, lots of classes." Even though Ryan had met lots of people at college he had no desire to get into a new relationship. "Have you finished eating?" Ryan asked quickly changing the subject. "We should make a start if we are to get there in time for dinner." Ryan looked at his watch as he spoke.

"Yeah, sure." Seth finished the rest of his meal and paid the bill.

As Ryan drove back to Newport, Seth intentionally fell asleep to avoid talking to Ryan further. His idea of surprising Ryan had not gone to plan at all. Seth only woke up when they reached home.


End file.
